Morgan Keegan's Focus List Ranks Second in Five-Year Returns

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--The Focus List of Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc., ranked second in five-year returns among the recommended stock lists of nine leading national and regional brokerage firms with a 8.76% return for the five years ended December 31, 2011, according to Zacks Investment Research, Inc. Zacks ranks the recommended stock lists of the nation’s leading brokerages every six months.

“Our multi-cap approach to the Focus List and its limited exposure to the financial sector helped us weather the challenging market conditions.”

In an article published February 6, 2012 in Barron’s, Zacks reported the 8.76 % return posted by Morgan Keegan’s Focus List substantially outperformed the recommended lists of Goldman Sachs, Edward Jones, and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney for the five-year period. Barron’s also notes that Morgan Keegan is “one that has often been at or near the top of this survey for many years.”

In addition, Morgan Keegan’s Focus List ranked second in the six-month category with a -2.26 % return, third in the three-year category with a 76.66% return, and fifth in the one-year category with a 1.41% return. According to Zacks Investment Research, Morgan Keegan’s Focus List has posted a 99.79% return since Zacks began tracking its performance at the beginning of 2004.

“The ongoing success of Morgan Keegan’s Focus List is due in large part to the quality research by our talented group of equity research analysts and the dedication of our Focus Group to the long-term investment needs of our clients,” said Elkan Scheidt, chairman of Morgan Keegan’s Focus Group and director of the firm’s equity research department. “Our multi-cap approach to the Focus List and its limited exposure to the financial sector helped us weather the challenging market conditions.”

In 1988, Morgan Keegan created the Focus Group to make the firm’s equity research more accessible for the individual investor through the firm’s Focus List of recommended stocks. The Focus Group includes representatives from the firm’s equity research department, equity strategy group, equity institutional sales department and private client group. To create the Focus List, the Group selects stocks that they believe have the best potential from the firm’s coverage universe.

About Zacks Investment Research, Inc.

Twice yearly, Zacks Investment Research ranks the performance of the recommended stock lists of some of the street’s top brokerages as well as those with a little less name recognition. The Zacks survey is intended to give investors an indication of how their portfolio would perform if investment professionals selected their stocks. Calculations for the survey take into account gains or losses, dividends and theoretical commissions of 1% on each trade. If a Barron’s survey participant informs Zacks of a change to the focus list before 12:00 noon CT, the change is effective on the same day, otherwise it is accounted for on the next day. The prices used are the official exchange closing prices. Monthly returns are then linked geometrically to produce quarterly and annual total return performance figures. Zacks calculates the time-weighted monthly performance of focus lists on an equal-weighted basis.

About Morgan Keegan & Company Inc.

Morgan Keegan & Company Inc., one of the nation’s largest regional full-service brokerage and investment banking firms, is the securities brokerage arm of Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE: RF). Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., Morgan Keegan serves individual and institutional investors in some 300 offices in 20 states. Additional information about Morgan Keegan can be found at www.morgankeegan.com.